The Torah, “Exodus (Ki Tissa),” 30:16: You shall take the silver of the atonements from the children of Israel and use it for the work of the Tent of Meeting; it shall be a remembrance for the children of Israel before the Lord, to atone for your souls.

The work in order to bestow should be done not because we want to acquire our soul but to bring contentment to the Creator.

The desire to acquire the soul is our general desire that the Creator, the property of bestowal and love, will be revealed with it. And we yearn for this not because it will be good for us afterwards from this because in such a case this would be an egoistic acquisition. We want to discover the upper power only to bring Him contentment.

This is precisely as the example of the guest and the host when the host wants to please the guest and the guest agrees to accept, but only on condition that through this he will give pleasure to the host, rising to his level. Therefore, the intention to give pleasure to the Creator raises us to the level of absolute bestowal.
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 2/9/13

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Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 183: This is why it is said that he should take advice from the holy fathers, since the prayer that we pray is the correction of the Holy Divinity, to extend abundance to her, to satisfy all her deficiencies.

Divinity is all of our desires that are connected in order to become something collective where each one loses his “I” and builds something shared.

Hence, all the requests are in plural form. This is so because the prayer is for the whole of Israel, since all that there is in the holy Divinity exists in the whole of Israel. There is a difference between the terms Divinity and the community of Israel. We build the community ourselves and the Divinity is what the Creator finishes as a result of our efforts.

It follows that when we pray for the whole of Israel, we pray for the Holy Divinity, since they are the same. Thus, before the prayer, we must look into the deficiencies in Divinity, to know what needs to be corrected and filled in her. Meaning, to what degree we still need to be included in each other.

However, all the generations of the whole of Israel are included in the Holy Divinity. Therefore, it is said that the Kabbalists in previous generations made corrections for us and we no longer need to subject ourselves to corporeal austerity. All the efforts of the Kabbalists of the past are included within the Holy Divinity, within the Malchut of the world of Atzilut, and in our day we merit correction of the general shattering on the level of the final correction, meaning the level of the Mashiach.

The holy fathers are the inclusion of the whole of Israel. They are the three roots of the 600,000 souls of Israel from every generation through the end of correction. And all the extensions and bestowals that the whole of Israel extend and receive in all generations are first received by the holy fathers. From them, the abundance reaches the whole of Israel in that generation that extended the abundance.

This matches the structure of the spiritual Partzuf, HBD-HGT-NHY. The first two thousand years are the “Avot” (forefathers) HBD; the next two thousand years are the sons, and we, the people of Israel, belong to the last two thousand years.

It is so because this is the spiritual order, that no branch can receive anything, except through its root. This is to say, the Light passes through everyone who preceded us in that hierarchy of the tree of life, beginning from Adam HaRishon (the First Man), then twenty generations from him until Abraham, and after that Moses, all the prophets, Rashbi, the Ari, Baal HaSulam, Rabash, and finally it reaches us. This arrangement never changes because that is the way a pyramid is built and the souls had to appear one after the other in that order. Therefore, we always receive the Light through those who preceded us.

…The primary illumination remains in the root, and only a part of it extends to the branch. The work we carry out is not great. But it acts like an amplifier receiving the weakest signal, and within the system there is a very powerful resistor. This is to say, we don’t enter into this system except to influence it by arousing amplification within it.

But it’s clear that all the intense changes take place within the amplifier and the result is revealed in the world of Infinity. And here, below, we feel only a small part of the reaction and all of the wonderful results are revealed within our holy forefathers on the higher levels. But with the end of correction there will be a collective mutual integration.

And those who will come after us will receive less and less with greater and greater resistance. That is how this system is built. But together with our small influence within the system, together with the great resistance, a great stimulus is awakened. The great desires of the forefathers are filled with an intense Light as a result of our miniscule work below. We don’t understand this because we don’t take into account the intense resistance of the entire system of worlds that are acting as an amplifier.

It therefore follows that all the corrections that were already corrected in the holy Divinity stand and exist in the souls of our holy fathers. All the results of our work are concentrated in the higher levels. And if we were to receive them in ourselves, we would not maintain our position and would become arrogant. This would destroy us. We receive precisely that measured dose sufficient for us to carry out the correct next step, shielding us from arrogance and destruction, from egoistic reception. Therefore, we receive little, but exactly what we need.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/20/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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The World Zohar Convention 2014 is dedicated to the most important and unequaled book that was given to humanity from Above through a unique group of Kabbalists. All of reality is a result of the breaking of desires. And in our world this breaking was manifested by way of the destruction of the First and Second Temples.

The ten Kabbalists who created The Book of Zohar were the remaining survivors of the destruction. On the one hand, they still belonged to the great times and high spiritual levels of the people of Israel at the time of the Temple, meaning at the spiritual state. But on the other hand, they had already emerged from the breaking and reached a unique revelation among them thanks to absolutely unique work.

Never in history had there been an event like this, that a group of ten people gathered and attained such a strong connection, rising to the height of 125 levels of correction of the breaking that existed between them. And therefore by way of their external connection, meaning by way of the book, they managed to convey the levels through which they had passed: from hatred to love, and after that from even greater hatred to even greater love, and so on further and further.

It is said, “Whoever is greater than his friend has greater egoism.” And therefore the higher we rise, the more distant and opposite we feel in relation to each other, the more hateful. That is how our nature, the evil inclination, is revealed to us.

A regular person doesn’t have an evil inclination, he simply has desires. Whereas the evil inclination is revealed in people who want to connect with each other and at that time, according to their aspiration, pressure, and efforts to connect, they discover how incapable of this they are.  They discover that the ego is awakened in them all the time and pushes them away from each other.

In The Book of Zohar it is written that the very same students of Rabbi Shimon, who each had attained an extraordinary height, the upper part (GAR) of the world of Atzilut, before the lesson, at the first attempt to connect, felt unbearable hatred towards each other. They expressed all of this inner struggle and antagonisms in The Book of Zohar. They felt how the fire of hatred burned in them, something which specifically indicates a very high level of the recognition of the evil inclination and its corresponding correction into the good inclination.
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From the World Zohar Convention 2/5/14, Lesson 1 

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Question: If we are dealing with inner, spiritual development, then why are the external activities, such as participating in lessons and conventions so important?

Answer: Everything begins with the still level. Until I go through the first three levels of the still, vegetative, and animate nature, I will not reach the speaking level and to the level of the Creator.

And accordingly, it’s impossible to stop halfway or to cancel something if it’s “needless.” Thus, I get up out of bed in the morning, brush my teeth, wash my face, and come to the lesson…. And during all of that I must be strictly and punctually correct, without wavering.

But no, “today I am in a philosophic mood. I am sitting at home by myself and thinking about life. I don’t want to be under the influence of the group. I don’t want to be together with the friends. On the contrary, I need a break, to get away from them. After all, a person is an independent creature and doesn’t depend on anyone. So, I won’t be dependent on the group and won’t do what the others do. I need to be higher than them.”

The conclusions are seemingly correct and logical but they are wrong at the root. It isn’t just written, “I dwell among my people.” Growth is possible only within the group, within the many, being mutually integrated with each other without any conditions. The Creator brings me to the group and says: “Take.” And afterwards it’s my choice if I take this present from Him. Or do I refuse it with pride? All the levels are constructed one above the other, without cancelling the previous one, but by adding to it a new attribute.
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From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/21/14, Writings of Baal HaSulam

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The Torah, “Exodus (Ki Tissa),” 32:9-32:10: And the Lord said to Moses: “I have seen this people and behold! They are a stiff necked people. Now leave Me alone, and my anger will be kindled against them so I will annihilate them, and I will you into a great nation.”

It refers to the fact that Moses actually ascended to the height of the Creator, but in order to place him on a level of full equivalence of form with Him, the Creator wants to make him into a nation, which means to add such desires to him that will form in him the image of Adam (a human being) that resembles the Creator, is in adhesion with Him.

At the same time, the rest of creation is preserved, which means that it remains on the level of the still, vegetative, and animate nature, while the speaking level of nature that is fulfilled on the level of Moses ascends upward.

Why does Moses object to the Creator and plead that He will not destroy the people? Doesn’t he cherish his own attributes that are similar to the Creator’s? Doesn’t he prefer the state of adhesion with Him? He is about to undergo corrections, the changing of new values, to descend into Egypt, into impurity, into the ego that is totally opposite to his own attributes. What is he attracted to there? He discovers eternity.

The fact that his love of the Creator can only be through the love of others is revealed here. It is impossible to express it any other way. The Creator tests Moses by telling him, “If I make you into a nation, you will receive everything in the state of your smallness. You can discover your great potential only if you agree to take on this hard labor. Take all the egoistic desires, correct them, purify them, and raise them to me. Make a choice!”
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From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 9/9/13

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Question: We see many corruptions in human nature but we don’t have an example of the corrected state. So how can we clarify things? How can we draw our path from incompleteness to completeness? Why didn’t the Creator give us an example?

Answer: Indeed, we have no examples of the perfection of the goal. But let’s suppose that I study how to create a sculpture or how to draw. In Rodin’s Museum in Paris there are groups of students studying how to sculpt according to the famous statue of The Thinker. It’s probably a good way to study. They study the different elements and become familiar with the details of the human body in order to sculpt it.

But what if I continue to copy from a ready made model when I graduate? Would I be able to become a real, creative independent artist? No. The best I will be able to do is to copy what someone else does. But I will not be able to express myself that way, I will only make a certain duplicate and that’s all.

It turns out that if there is a ready model before me I will never understand what it means to be the Creator, and we want to resemble the actual idea of the Creator. On the way I correct what He has done, but it’s only a means, and theoretically it could also be different. The goal is to reach His level and to be there, to acquire the ability to make all of reality from nothing.

Question: What kind of stimulus for that can we find in our world?

Answer: First you have to start from nothing, like Him. In the same way a person in our world invents something that did not exist before.

Question: But how can I start from nothing?

Answer: That’s right, we don’t understand that. But without this I will not be like Him. Without this I will remain on the level of traditional science that copies and uses what it finds in nature, medicines, chemical substances, and different metals—all this is a complex, sophisticated copy of what we find in nature. I study different elements and then I learn how to put them together successfully. This isn’t real art, it isn’t creativity; by doing so I merely follow nature.

For example, we calculate the features required for the walls of a submarine and then we find the right combination of metals to build it, but we don’t build it from nothing since we use something that already exists in nature. In our world we simply don’t understand what it means to be the Creator. Even the most brilliant and ingenious ideas cannot compare to it.

Why do we need the Restriction and the Reflected Light, total darkness, and uncertainty with regards to the upper level? We do so in order to really create something that didn’t exist before.

What do we create? We create the Creator, design Him and make Him out of emptiness.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/27/13, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

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Question: Should women inspire the men?

Answer: Women can inspire men better than anyone else. Imagine that your wife is impressed by you and keeps saying: “You are so clever, so handsome, so special! I look at other men and see that you are much stronger and better than them!” If a woman felt that way about you, you would immediately run home and sit by her like a little boy listening to everything that she says. This is what men are like.

Women can manipulate men anyway they like. If a woman is clever, if she aims at the goal and understands what she does it for, I will only be grateful to her just for starting to work on my nature. I will not brag and be proud of being a “macho.” On the contrary, I will be totally honest with her: “The ego is my nature, it is a contemptible zero! Help me exit it! Let’s resist it and change it together. Then we will do the same with you.”

This is where we should annul ourselves. Let’s be our own psychologists a little and look at ourselves from the side. This is the only way we can exit this state. We also try to do the same thing in the group, by putting ourselves above it and then below it so that it will impress us.

We have to do the same thing in the family, by constantly ascending and descending one with regards to the other, but what for? In order to attain the upper goal! So I don’t care about the relations with the family as long as they are aimed correctly and are set on the goal. A woman is your major assistant, she knows you better than anyone else, so her right attitude towards you can help you exit your nature quickly.

We should have special courses for teaching married couples about the right mutual relations and how to change people’s egoistic nature. You will see how you will be able to positively influence your kids afterwards. They will be good, kind, disciplined, and wise. We should take advantage of such opportunities. The main thing is to be more mature. The importance of the goal justifies everything.

We know that in the past Kabbalists were actually happy when they had bitter, angry wives. But our wives are not angry or bitter. They are following the spiritual path with us, helping us, and advising us as to how we should work with our ego and use it for the right cause.

We need to understand that we are connected only for this common goal which determines our relationships, and that we do everything to attain it. This means that I don’t want to play with your ego in any way; I don’t want to use it in order to stab you, no! We should behave wisely, gently, and tactfully with regards to one another to the extent that we can use ourselves and our partner correctly.

This is what we should learn. You cannot imagine what a great tool this is for our correction. We can change our planet with it! To be honest, you don’t need anyone but a female ally. You need the group only in order to connect the two of you correctly.

In any case, during the transition period there are quite a few families in which the partners are moving in different directions. In that case a person needs a group. By the way, a group of women is very serious support with regards to the men’s group. Take this seriously. Progressing through the right methods of interaction, you will see how much it helps you.
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From the Moscow Virtual Convention “Unity Without Boundaries,” 12/14/13, Lesson 4

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Question: What does it mean to try to connect while reading The Book of Zohar?

Answer: Reading The Zohar is the time when you shouldn’t use your mind but your soul. Now you have to think about how we should connect in order to be like a magnifying glass by which we draw the sun rays in order to light something that is under the glass.

How can we concentrate and focus on this point? If we do, we will feel the Light that influences us going through us, illuminating our desire to receive and changing it. Then the desire will restrict itself, acquire a Masach (screen) and will begin to work.

Our whole work is done by this magnifying glass that is becoming more powerful. Our work is in the growing concentration of the group in quantity and quality so that a stronger Light will come and bring us to a more substantial and more qualitative connection. Then we will discover the spiritual state in the connection between us. What we discover is called the spiritual world.

Question: Do I build this magnifying glass by my efforts or is it created by everyone’s efforts?

Answer: By all our efforts. The magnifying glass itself isn’t important. What’s important is the central point in the magnifying glass, in which all the rays of Light connect and descend through it.

Question: How do we know that all our efforts are successful?

Answer: According to the result: You you will receive the desired change, as it says: “I labored and I found.” The exertion is in the connection between us, in one heart and in mutual guarantee, and the finding is when we discover between us the first attribute of bestowal called the first spiritual level.

Question: What will change in me after this change?

Answer: You will not only want to bestow but will also be able to bestow.
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From the 2nd part of the the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/08/13, The Book of Zohar

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